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Add, Remove, Modify Or Modify A Word In Spell Check

BY STANLEY ZAROWIN

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Q. Window’s spell check is one of my favorite
features—except for one thing: Every now and then I OK a word (usually
a name) and later learn I misspelled it. But once it’s in the
dictionary, I can’t figure out how to change it. Any suggestions?

A. You can edit the dictionary. It used to be a real
chore in pre-XP versions of Windows Office, but now it’s a breeze.
Note, however, that the spell-check dictionary is used by all Windows
applications—Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint and OneNote—but you can
edit only in Word. So to change a spelling in its memory, no matter
what Office application you’re working in, you must first open Word.
Then go to Tools , Options ,
Spelling & Grammar and click on Custom
Dictionaries . Unless you added a special dictionary, you
probably only have one, called CUSTOM.DIC (default) .

To add, remove or modify a word, click on Modify ,
which brings up the CUSTOM.DIC screen below. Don’t
click on New or Add ; those buttons
are for adding a dictionary, not a word. You can find many specialty
dictionaries on subjects from accounting to zoology by searching the
Internet.

To fix a spelling, first delete the incorrect version by scrolling
to the word you want to change and deleting it. Then type the correct
version in the space under the Word heading and click
on Add and OK .